Stockport County 8 Buxton 1 ( Lancashire League Cup 2nd Leg) 30 September 2015

The crowd might have been small at Edgeley Park tonight, but those in attendance were royally entertained by a veritable goal feast as County overcame a 2  goal deficit to run out resounding 8/1 winners against a game but ultimately out gunned Buxton side.

True....the Derbyshire team were reduced to 10 fairly early on , but they were already 2 down by that point and it was in preventing a third going in that Herve Muzangi, got the order of the early bath.

For County it was a decent work out for a clutch of established names , as well as a chance to get a glimpse of one or two who are lesser known.

Twice  within a minute of the start Alex Airey went close for Buxton , but that early burst from the visitors proved elusory, as County powered into a 2 goal lead largely thanks to the exploits of Baggie and Morton down the right, where the passes zinged sweetly twixt the duo forcing Buxton onto the back foot.

Morton and Baggie had just laid the left side of the visitors back line bare, when play switched to George West ,but his cross just eluded Evans who was lurking on the edge of the box. No shooting chance materialised for Evans, but no sooner had we taken that thought on board than Wade Joyce made it irrelevant by lashing a beauty home from outside the box.

That was a brilliant opener, but with a couple of minutes it was 2/0  as again Morton and Baggie tore into their opponents down the right, Morton's cross picking Evans out perfectly under the bar.....2/0!

 

Micah Evans in impressive form !

County kept the pressure on...West seeing keeper Aaron Jameson make a decent save to keep his shot out, and a Garvin free kick thudded into the woodwork.

 On it went with Morton and Baggie in their element setting West up for another strike that again Jameson did well to keep out, along with a follow up from County captain Paul Connolly.

 

Jameson's ball......

15 minutes in and I thought we had a penalty....a pretty clear one actually as Baggie was felled in the box . Somehow the referee did not give it but that was about his only blooper of the game - for me he had a good `un.

No penalty but much excitement followed as twice Evans, who had a fine game, went close, the second time from one of a plethora of probing balls from the diligent Joe Garvin who patrolled County's left flank impressively. Garvin's free kicks were impressive too , and the next one put the skids well and truly under Buxton who were reduced to 10 men when Muzangi handled after Garvin had struck bar and post with his latest set piece.

 

Garvin smacks the woodwork again !

Off went Muzangi...up stepped Abs Baggie and it was 3/0 as he belted  the spot kick home.

Celebrations were brief however as, Buxton responded magnificently to being reduced in numbers, immediately pulling one back as, under pressure from  Danny Hopkins, Morton put the ball past Ian Ormson into his own net .....3/1.

That was good from Buxton, but gradually County reasserted their hold on the game via a neat move involving Garvin and Evans who did well to shake off the attentions of Sumari Doyle  ,and plant the fourth in the net!

Baggie went close to increasing County's 4/1 half time lead  twice within 6 minutes of the restart, but it was a neat combo involving Evans and Jordyn Fitton that finally did the trick for County teeing Baggie up to make it 5 with a thunderbolt of a shot that almost lifted the netting from its moorings!

The Buxton resistance was waning a touch now and quickly County rubbed it in and there was a real virtuoso quality about this one from Evans who looked every inch the scoring machine of his pre -season videos in coolly slotting the sixth home.

Within 5 minutes it was 7/1 , this time , a new name to me, Eddie Fulwood who twisted dextrously in mid air to guide Morton's chipped cross past the keeper- a decent goal that!

 

Morton on the charge !

County rang the changes after this.....Danny Murray for Connolly.....Jordache Walters for Evans ( Adam Etches had replaced Baggie not long after his second goal), and they had a fairly inexperienced forward line operating now, but one of these was Jordache Walters and he looked the pick of the subs, going close on a couple of occasions , before the scoring was completed as Adam Etches  applied a cool finish to the neatest of County moves , making the final score 8/1 to County who progress now to the next round of the Lancashire League Cup.- good news indeed following recent disappointments...well done lads!

County line up;

Ormson, Morton, Garvin, Fulwood,  Connolly( Murray 66), Ellison, Baggie( Etches 58), Joyce, Evans( Walters 71), West, Fitton.

Subs not used:

Young, Coombe.

Buxton FC line up:

Jameson, Ballington( Swain 45), M Brown, Doyle, C Maskery( Muzangi 23), Owen, Bemba-Leta, Buckley, Airey, Bradbury, Hopkins( B Maskery 45).

Subs not used:

B Brown

Ian Brown